Sebastian Vettel is preparing for his final glory of 2013 on one of Formula One's greatest stages. The often wet and bumpy surface at Interlagos is not every race driver's bottle of champagne and it almost did for Vettel last year before he secured his third championship with one of his finest drives.
Nothing is predictable here. But there is such a serenity about Vettel these days, and such a well-grooved confidence about the Red Bull team, that yet another victory looks all but inevitable, even though the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were more impressive in the rain of yesterday morning's Brazilian Grand Prix practice.
Rosberg stayed top in the afternoon’s second practice, though this time followed by Vettel and Webber. Vettel’s ninth consecutive victory would also be his 13th of the season, equaling Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record.
It seems likely we will all be regrouping in Melbourne in March for another onslaught of achievements by the prodigy from Heppenheim, having become only the third driver behind Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio to win four consecutive drivers' championship titles.
'Rubbish'
"People have always said he's been in the best car but that's rubbish because he didn't start with the best car," says former Formula One driver and Sky commentator Johnny Herbert.
“He has helped Red Bull to develop the best car. They’ve helped each other, Adrian [Newey], Christian [Horner], the mechanics; the synergy is working, and no one else has that synergy.
“Before he came along Red Bull had never won before. It’s only been with him they’ve stepped up to winning races.”
At 26, only three drivers have won more races than Vettel's 38, Michael Schumacher's 91, followed by Alain Prost (51) and Ayrton Senna (41). Only two have won more than his 44 poles, Schumacher (68) and Senna (65).
It seems a little preposterous that his greatness has only been recently acknowledged.
Why has he been so disliked? Is it that raised forefinger, identifying yet another pole or race victory? That is certainly irritating, not least for his vanquished rivals.
Is it because he carved up Mark Webber so badly in Malaysia at the start of the season? Everybody has a fond spot for the Australian Anglophile Webber, who will be making his final F1 start tomorrow. Perhaps it is because those long years of Schumacher's dominance have left us feeling weary about the prospect of more of the same.
"I have to congratulate him," says his main rival this season, Fernando Alonso. "They have been very strong, very dominant, especially in the second half of the season, and they deserve to be champions."
First among losers
Once again Alonso will be second in the championship or first among losers in the highly competitive world of F1.
“Vettel’s driving to a fantastically high level all the time,” says his team principal, Christian Horner. “It’s really on an elevated plane. I would put him against anyone in these cars and I believe he’d come out on top.”
Vettel has reached the stage where he is now so far ahead of the other drivers that jealousy and envy are falling away, leaving just awe and admiration.
Lower down on the grid Jenson Button – the last man to win the world championship, in 2009, before Vettel embarked on his astonishing run, is hoping for something more modest tomorrow – McLaren’s first podium place of the year.
If the Briton and the Mexican Sergio Pérez, who will be having his last outing for the team, fail in that, it will be the first time in 33 years McLaren have not been on the podium at all. That was 1980, the year Button was born.
“It would be great to finish on a high and a podium would be great,” Button said yesterday.
“You have to have a positive frame of mind. I’m racing for the team and even though it is the last weekend of F1 it is not going to stop people working hard at the factory.”
But even Button has time to take his helmet off to Vettel. "Anyone who wins four world titles has done a fantastic job and will be remembered in the sport as one of the greats." –
Guardian Service
